The Trump team was just caught in a $156 million Puerto Rico food contract scandal

The Trump administration’s naked exploitation of the devastation wrought on the island of Puerto Rico in the wake of Hurricane Maria was exposed in bewildering fashion when it was revealed that a Trump administration contractor was awarded $156 million to provide 30 million meals to the people of Puerto Rico – and only came through with 50,000 meals.

The FEMA officer in charge of the contract said the operation was “a logistical nightmare,” which begs the question of why the hell was this contract awarded in the first place to a tiny company with no experience in disaster relief and which the Government Publishing Office had already banned from receiving contracts over $35,000 due to their track record of incompetence.

This is just the latest outrage in a lengthy list of shady ways in which the Trump administration has attempted to turn the Puerto Rico crisis into a money-making venture for Trump-friendly businesses – for instance, consider the $300 million contract to repair Puerto Rico’s electricity grid that was given to Whitefish Energy, a tiny two-person company from Interior Secretary Ryan Zinke’s hometown in Montana and was later cancelled after public outcry.

Colin Taylor is the managing editor of the Washington Press. He graduated from Bennington College with a Bachelor's degree in history and political science. He now focuses on advancing the cause of social justice, equality, and universal health care in America.